When executing, either at startup or during the operation of a computer, firmware uses firmware settings to determine the manner in which aspects of the computer operate. Typical firmware can have hundreds of settings. These settings, either set by a manufacturer of the computer system or a user of the computer system, can include, but are not limited to, the boot order, firmware setup defaults, a firmware password, the date and time, hard drive settings, the amount of memory installed, central processing unit (“CPU”) settings, power-on settings, and others.
As with other software, firmware may be updated from time to time. The updates may be major or minor in nature. The firmware may be updated to optimize the operation of the computer or in response to a security issue, among other possibilities. In some instances, however, when the firmware is updated, the firmware settings may be changed. For example, the firmware settings may be stored in memory locations that are overwritten when the firmware is updated.
If overwritten, changed, or otherwise lost, the firmware settings used to boot the computer after the firmware update may revert back to default settings. Thus, after the update, a computer that may have been tailored or optimized for a particular function or to work in a certain way may not function in the desired way. Thus, in some instances, while the firmware update may enhance certain computer functionality, the lost settings may decrease the functionality of the computer in other areas.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the various configurations described below are presented.